Musings of a Middle-Aged Mormon Mother

We Bought A Zoo

2012-01-14T19:59:00.000-08:00

Ever since before Christmas when they talked about this movie on "Extreme Home Makeover" I have wanted to see it. It took awhile to get there, but I thought it was worth the wait. I really, really liked "We Bought a Zoo". However, don't take your son with you when you go because he will accuse you of crying really, really loud. I would have cried quieter if he hadn't stolen my crying napkin.

"You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds on insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it."

Benjamin Mee

The Blogging Dilemma

2012-01-04T19:54:00.000-08:00

Tonight it was brought to my attention

that my blog post production rate

has dropped drastically during the past 2 years.

► 2011 (42)

► 2010 (49)

► 2009 (180)

► 2008 (222)

Hmm. I hadn't realized that.

I better pick up the pace.

Actually, I decided recently

that I wanted to be a better blogger.

As soon as I decided that

something happened to the program

I use to upload pictures to my computer

and well,

what's the point of blogging

if there aren't any pictures

for my children who aren't into reading.

Due to my lack of photos -

Wait,

I am not lacking in photos.

In fact I have so many pictures on my computer

that I have no memory left

and my computer is slower than slow

and my husband tells me daily

that I need to move ALL my photos to the external hard drive.

But, I love my pictures

and I don't want them out of my sight

even for a minute.

Then while I am rambling on

about why it is so difficult for me

to produce a blog post

I push a wrong button and

the incomplete post publishes

and makes absolutely no sense.

Now do you understand

why my post numbers are down?

No?

Neither do I.

For those of you who

have hung on through

this entire nonsense -

I give you a story

for your enjoyment

which will include

a previously uploaded picture.

It is called

"The Blue Poinsettia"

When we had our ward Christmas party

each table had a blue poinsettia

as the centerpiece.

When the party was over,

the flowers were passed out to families

and one came home with me.

I put mine on top of the piano,

but the cats kept trying to eat it.

I have heard that poinsettias are poisonous

so I didn't think that was a good idea.

I tried really hard to keep them away from it

and they tried really hard to eat it.

When we left to go to California for Christmas

I put the plant out on the stool on my front porch

so the cats couldn't have a feast.

I told the oldest son

(who was watching our house and the cats)

that he could take it home with him

if he wanted it.

Apparently he didn't want it,

because it was still sitting on the stool

when we came home a week later.

It looked quite sad and forgotten-

very shriveled and unhealthy.

I felt the soil that it was in

and it was plenty wet

so I decided to just leave it there

and see what happened.

Fast forward another day -

both sons and I are walking into the house.

The oldest son says,

"I think your flower froze

one of the nights that you were gone.

It looked fine one day and

the next day it looked - pfft. "

The youngest son looked at the plant,

and then he looked again and said,

" Wait! You mean it wasn't always blue? "

For those of you
who care about things like poinsettias.

The weather here has warmed up
A LOT
and the poor thing is doing much better.

However, it is still mostly blue.

The Passage of Time

2012-01-01T19:48:00.000-08:00

So,

here it is.

2012.

Am I the only one that feels like the year 2000 DID NOT begin 12 years ago.

It seems like last year.

Or maybe 2 or 3 years ago,

but not 12.

Things have changed a lot since then though.

Now all the kids that were wild young 'uns then

are starting to have young 'uns of their own.

They think they are old enough to put OUR puzzle together

and don't leave us any room at the table.

It was actually kind of fun though,

to have our daughters want to do puzzles with us.

It meant they were close by

and not hundreds of miles away.

My mom used to always say

that the person who put the last piece in the puzzle

was going to have the next baby.

That is another good reason to start

including the daughters in the puzzling.

The last piece in this puzzle was missing.

The oldest daughter spent some time

under the table seriously searching for it.

At this point she is trying anything that might get her a new baby.

She did find it

so we're still holding out hope

for a new member of their family in 2012.

We missed our friend that got to welcome the arrival of 2012

in a hospital bed facing a new challenge along with a new year.

Here's praying that her cancer disappears

as quickly as the past 12 years have.

Talking to Santa

2011-11-30T09:16:00.000-08:00

A Day at Disneyland

2011-11-30T09:12:00.000-08:00

11/11/11 11:11 AM

2011-11-11T21:43:00.000-08:00

Today we had a Relief Society activity to work on some of our unfinished crafts. It wasn't too well attended - way too many things to do on a day off from work and school, but those of us that were there enjoyed ourselves immensely. One of the sisters set her alarm to go off just before 11:11 so we could all make a wish. Here are the wish makers. I love all the intense thought that is going on.

I still had time to make my own wish. 11:11 does last for a whole minute you know. Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture of my thoughtful face.

This is the project I was working on today.

I bought this sewing at a thrift store before last Thanksgiving. I just think the children and animals giving thanks are so sweet. Now it is almost Thanksgiving again and I have not made much progress toward my goal of turning it into a pillow. Well actually, my friend's cat thought it made a perfect pillow just the way it is.

It has been awhile since I did any crewel like this and my eyes and my glasses had a hard time working together to do it. I find it is easiest to take my glasses off and hold it close to see, but then I get a big kink in my neck and I can't sew and watch TV with my glasses off. Getting older is full of so many challenges. Maybe by next Thanksgiving I will actually have this pillow on display.

Today I am thankful for

brakes that actually work on my van even though it took 9 months, 3 attempts, over $1,000 and 2 establishments to finally get it right.

women who know me and still like me.

Fall weather.

all the men and women who have sacrificed so much so I can enjoy life as I know it.

Cat and Mouse

2011-09-28T22:29:00.001-07:00

Worf had a difficult night so today she is sticking pretty close to me.

Today I am thankful for

phone conversations with both of my sons.

the opportunity to visit teach and build friendships with two Relief Society sisters that I might not get to enjoy otherwise.

hamburger on sale.

a checker at Walmart that price matched for me without me even asking. "Someone has nectarines and bananas 3 pounds for $1.00 and I price match so that's what I'll charge you."

Empty Nest

2011-09-27T10:56:00.000-07:00

I can totally relate to the mother in this video right now.

Should I be sad or go celebrate?

Today I am grateful for

a daughter who created a blog to keep me connected to the grandson.

good choices.

a phone call from my sister.

new blogs from the youngest daughter.

Major Upgrade

2011-09-19T23:04:00.000-07:00

Today one of the items on our to do list was a trip to the grocery store since there wasn't a whole lot to eat in the new house. While traveling through Albertsons, all of the sudden the grandson got really excited and started chanting something over and over again. I stopped to figure out what had gotten his attention and what he was saying. It was pretty obvious that he was intrigued by a balloon flying over one of the checkout counters. It was a Disney Castle complete with princesses.

and the words he was repeating over and over again were "Shad's house, Shad's house!"

Apparently he thinks this new house

is a big improvement over the old, 2 bedroom apartment. Or maybe he just thinks his mom and I resemble some very beautiful young ladies and since we were waving out the windows it must be his house.

2011-08-01T21:00:00.000-07:00

Today I am grateful for

friends to go walking and talking with.
light, especially right when it begins to drive away the darkness.
a wonderful family home evening lesson on scripture study taught by the youngest son.

Historic Haboob

2011-07-06T19:23:00.000-07:00

Last night we were hit by a massive dust storm. The meteorologists and my hubby like to refer to this type of storm as a haboob. It was pretty amazing even though I didn't venture outside until it was over. Even then the air was thick with dust.

Here are some photos of what the storm left behind at the oldest daughter's apartment.

She might want to get her car washed when she gets back in town and her backyard needs a little clean up as well.

Our Family Motto?

2011-07-04T20:25:00.000-07:00

Perhaps you remember that some time,

a long time ago,

we started a "family tradition"

of going out to breakfast on patriotic holidays.

At least that's how the story goes.

Well, this morning

when I asked the hubby

what he was going to make me for breakfast

he replied, "IHOP".

I voted for Village Inn.

I knew from past experience

that the other members of the family

needed to be invited.

Luckily, for our bank account,

the majority of our family

were out of town today

so we were a small family of four.

I haven't been to Village Inn in a long time

and they had done some redecorating.

I actually thought it was fun.

We were seated right next to this wall.

I'm thinking this is the perfect decoration

for my dining room

since it very easily could be our family motto.

Happy Independence Day!

I hope you had a Happy Fourth

enjoying your own family traditions.

Today I am grateful that

I have friends and family to barbecue and celebrate the 4th with. Even though we are getting less and less festive as the years go by. No one took a single photo and we all wimped out on going somewhere to watch the fireworks. Fireworks lose their appeal for me when it is HOT.

I wasn't the grandma having a nervous breakdown every time a little boy stayed under the water a little too long in the pool.

my hubby cleaned the family room to make up for not making me breakfast.

Why Would Anyone Want to be a Dentist?

2011-06-30T18:46:00.001-07:00

I really like my dentist.

He is a very nice man and takes good care of me and my teeth.

However, I do not like to spend time with him.

I don't know why anyone would choose to be a dentist.

I think the whole sticking your hand in everyone else's mouth is pretty gross, but in my opinion that isn't the worst part of the job.

The thing I couldn't handle is the feeling that nobody likes me.

I would get tired of going to work everyday just to hear people complain about having to visit me.

Now, I know there are some people in the world who have perfect dental hygiene and amazingly healthy teeth and all the dentist does when they visit is pat them on the back and say "Good job! See you in 6 months".

They probably enjoy their trips to the dentist.

I have those kinds of visits every now and then, but those usually involve a lot of time with the hygienist and a few seconds with my dentist.

The long visits with Dr. Thomas are the poke and drill and pull and grind procedures that I know are necessary, but definitely not enjoyable.

I am grateful that I live in a day and age where visiting the dentist is an option.

Where Novocaine makes my time in the chair fairly pain free.

Where I get to have my lousy teeth replaced with strong, gold crowns that allow me to continue biting and chewing and enjoying my food.

Don't get me wrong.

I am glad there are individuals out there who choose to be dentists and take care of my teeth, but I will admit that ever since my eldest son was in the musical "Little Shop of Horrors" in high school, the following refrain flows through my head at least once while my dentist works away in my mouth.

You'll be a dentist
(be a dentist)
You have a talent for causing things pain
(pain)
Son be a dentist
(son be a dentist)
People will pay you to be inhumane
(humane)

Your temperament's wrong for the priesthood
And teaching would suit you still less
Son be a dentist you'll be a success.

Now, my next question is - Why would anyone want to be a proctologist?

A Finished Project

2011-06-28T22:40:00.000-07:00

I love to look at craft blogs and see all the fun things people make. Every once in a while I am so inspired that I even purchase the needed materials to complete one of the projects myself. Actually making the item, however, is a usually a different story.

Ruffle pillows are one of the crafts that have really intrigued me as I blog surf. When I found this one,

which even included a straight forward tutorial I was hooked.

During my next visit to DI I picked up a t-shirt for $1.00 in the perfect color to go with my new bedspread.

Surprise of all surprises, I even made me a ruffle pillow!

Now, the experience wasn't quite as simple as I had hoped. There are a few things I would do differently if I were to make another ruffle pillow (which I just might do , because I think they are so cute!).

First, I had this pillow form getting kicked around my house so I decided to use it instead of purchasing fiberfill. The curved corners were a little bit of a challenge for me and because I used the foam form I had to hand sew an entire side rather than just a small hole. I think next time I would buy the stuffing.

Second, the instructions said to cut the ruffles about 21 inches long. When I cut mine they ended up being about 26 inches so like the good doobie I am I trimmed each one to 22 inches and then kicked myself over and over again when I sewed the ruffles on and wished they had a little bit more gather. Next time I will make the ruffles as long as possible.

Third, I ended up making holes in my fabric in a few places either because my needle was too fat or my needle was damaged when I ran over the pins holding the ruffles in place. In the future I will use a needle made to sew on knit and I will move the pins rather than cruise through them.

Fourth, I had a really hard time spacing my ruffles and getting them actually sewn in a straight line where I wanted them to be. I'm thinking I might go as far as drawing some straight lines on the pillow top fabric to help with ruffle placement next time. The ruffle would cover the line up, so I don't think it would be a problem.

All in all, I am very happy with my finished project.

Now I just need to learn how to place my pillows so they look decorative and not dorky. I better go look for a blog about that.

2011-06-14T23:30:00.000-07:00

Today I am grateful for

shade - that makes sitting outside in Mesa in June feel "not that bad".
ice cubes. We go through a lot of ice at our house in the summer.
obscure holidays that result in my husband having the day off of work. Today is SRPMIC day for those of you who didn't know, and for those of you who still feel clueless, today is the day that the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community became a recognized indian reservation.

Some Zerberts For Your Enjoyment

2011-06-06T20:12:00.000-07:00

A few summers ago my children spent some of their free time watching all the seasons of "The Cosby Show". One of the things that came from this activity was a new family word - Zerbert. According to urbandictionary.com a zerbert is a sloppy kiss where you blow, making a farting sound (previously referred to in our family as a raspberrry).

This word was first introduced on "The Cosby Show", (Season 2, Episode 11). In the episode, Vanessa was practicing for a spelling test, and Rudy kept interrupting, asking what a series of nonsense letters spelled. The following, including spelling, is taken from the subtitles as transmitted.

Rudy: Vanessa, what does "Q-N-G-H" spell?

Vanessa: Nothing. Give me another word.

Rudy: What does "Z-R-B-T-T" spell?

Vanessa: Nothing!

Rudy: How come when you spell it's a word and when I spell it it's nothing?

Vanessa: Dad, I'm studying very hard for the spelling test, and she keeps asking dumb questions.

Cliff: I don't think anybody asks dumb questions. What's your problem?

Rudy: What does "Z-R-B-T-T" spell?

Cliff: "Z-R-B-T-T" spell? Uh... That's zurbitt. Zurbitt... uh.. You know what I think a zurbitt is? I just remembered. A zurbitt is this:(makes zrbtt on Rudy's cheek.)

As you can see, our family spelling and pronounciation may be a little bit off, but we all enjoy a good ZRBTT, zirbitt, or zerbert every now and then.

Today the youngest son shared some exceptional zerberts with his cousin's baby. Just looking at these pictures makes me want to giggle.

Who wouldn't want to zerbert those sweet little cheeks?

Welcome Reprieve

2011-05-18T20:34:00.001-07:00

Today dawned cool, windy and overcast. The grandson and I were anxious to be outside enjoying the beautiful weather. We bought us a Buzz kite, some french fries, some "juice", and a hamburger to share and headed to the park for a party.

When the grandson saw this picture on the computer he was really concerned about his wind blown hair. It made me laugh.

I'm pretty sure kite flying is a two person job and the second person should probably be over two.

We did manage to get the kite in the air for an extended period of time on several occasions, but I had a hard time taking pictures, flying the kite and keeping the kid in tow.

We had lots of fun and were even happy that it rained on our picnic. Every cool day from now until October has to be enjoyed to the fullest.

Today I am grateful that

Kmart had kites and they were even on sale.
I got to actually feel cold this evening.
it rained on my flowers so I didn't even have to water them.

The Cheap Seats

2011-05-13T20:57:00.000-07:00

The grandson is a little bit addicted to Toy Story movies. He would watch "Duh", which is what he calls Buzz, all the time if we would let him. He especially likes Toy Story 2.

When we took our family vacation to Greer for Spring break his parents introduced him to the DVD player that we have in our van and since then every time we leave his house he wants to take his "moo-fees" "wif me" and every time we get in the van he asks for Buzz. A couple of weeks ago, I gave in and attempted to let him watch his DVD in transit. As luck would have it, all I managed to do was get the movie stuck in the player. The next day I purchased a new copy of Toy Story 2, because the kid was having major withdrawal symptoms.
The DVD player at their house used to be where the grandson could reach it, open it and put his movies in and out. For some reason, it quit working. Go figure. It didn't take too long for his mom to decide that a new DVD player was a necessary expenditure. However, the device that was purchased, and placed out of his reach, has issues with the Toy Story 2 DVD. It will play any other movie you put in it, but refuses to function when Buzz is inserted. This has once again caused some severe 19-month-old angst. The child has been feeling very Toy Story deprived, so imagine his excitement when on today's outing we visited the Phoenix Deseret Industries and happened upon a showing of "Toy Story 2" on not one, not two, but 13 screens. It was like a dream come true to him.

He allowed me to shop in the store as long as we went back to see what was happening with "the gang" every few minutes. Luckily for him, he knows the story line well and could jump right into the action. When I was ready to leave, we decided to make one more visit to the make shift theater. We were a little surprised to discover that we weren't the only ones taking advantage of the free movie viewing. A cute family had found a place to sit and were happily watching the show. The grandson was convinced that he needed to join them in their "cheap seats" and enjoy the remainder of the movie with them.

For almost half an hour we watched and cheered and danced and thoroughly embraced the suspenseful conclusion of Toy Story 2. Sometimes we even sat quietly.

We just never know what fun our days together will bring!

Today I am grateful for

a phone with a camera.
cheap thrift store fun.
Fridays!

Update (June 11, 2011)- since this post the original Toy Story 2 movie has been rescued from the van DVD player (the youngest son pushed the eject button and the movie came out). The oldest daughter's new DVD player likes that copy of the movie and so now we have Toy Story 2 at both "house" (grandma's house) and "home" (the grandson's house). Also, the grandson has perfected the pronounciation of "Buzz" with a b and a z. No Duh anymore.

"Happy To You" Cake

2011-05-11T20:20:00.000-07:00

The grandson has attended a few birthday celebrations in the last couple of weeks and he is especially excited by the birthday cakes. He likes the cake and the candles, but his favorite part is the singing. He loves to sing Happy Birthday.

On Friday night we went to his 2nd cousin Hezekiah's party.

and on Saturday we celebrated with his 2nd cousin, Anastasia.

Today, while he and I were visiting the Desert Botanical Garden, we decided to sit down and rest next to this planter full of some type of tiny aloe vera plants. He kept telling me "happy to you" as he pointed to the plant, but it took me a little while to figure out what he was saying. In his mind this looks like a birthday cake with very tall candles poking up. After he pointed it out, I could see the resemblance.

In honor of his ingenuity, we sang "Happy Birthday" several times, like maybe 12, while he practiced blowing the candles out.

A Visit With the Easter Bunny

2011-04-22T19:06:00.000-07:00

Today the oldest daughter had the day off of work and so we decided to go on an adventure. I had read online that there was a shopping center up the road where we could get the grandson's picture taken with the Easter Bunny for free. We were pretty sure we knew how this visit was going to transpire, but it sounded like something fun to do anyway.

First we visited Kohl's and Target so the grandson could show his mom what he wanted for Easter. It turned out that all he wanted were clothes, or at least that's what he ended up with. Then we headed across the parking lot to find the Easter Bunny. We were pleasantly surprised that the line was only a few people long and quickly joined the que. The grandson immediately saw the bunny and was quite excited. His mom asked him if he was going to sit on his lap and tell him "hi" and he was very positive that he was. That was before he got up close. He quickly changed his mind, but the mean women in his life still made him visit long enough for the camera woman to snap his picture.

The tears only lasted until his mom picked him up and then he was all friendly, blowing kisses and waving bye-bye. Silly boy!

This picture is just to let you all know that he survived his ordeal and was still able to smile.

The grandson has a fascination with any kind of drain or cover with a hole in it. As we were walking back to the car he found one and stuck his finger in it. As he stood up to leave his mom warned him that the alligator might bite him. He quickly returned to the hole and refused to budge. He wanted to see the alligator.

This is about 4 covers later and he's still looking for the alligator.

After our field trip we met the oldest son and the daughter-in-law for lunch, since he also had the day off of work. They had just come from the knee doctor where the surgeon said the daughter-in-law's knee was healed enough that she doesn't have to wear her leg brace anymore. She was VERY excited!

Today I am grateful that

the daughter and the son had the day off of work so we could play together.
I am feeling better.
the daughter-in-law's knee is getting better.
Jesus Christ was willing to die on the cross for me.

2011-02-07T20:49:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful that

my oldest son is the kind of husband that remembers today is his 6 month wedding anniversary.
my son's mother-in-law takes good care of him and his wife.
my youngest son's knee wasn't hurt as bad as he tried to convince me it was.

Pretty impressive bruise when viewed across the room - totally fake.

my new doctor called me personally to give me my good blood work results.
it stays light later every day now.

2011-02-01T19:43:00.001-08:00

Today I am thankful for

a new month of church magazines to read.
spontaneous laughter from my favorite toddler.
the obvious love my kids have for their nephew.
the heat pump that keeps my house warm.
e-mail.

2011-01-28T21:31:00.001-08:00

Today I am thankful that

I have developed a habit of going to the street with the light to leave our neighborhood.
I had a Home Depot gift card to buy paint with. Too bad it wasn't near enough paint.
I don't have to paint houses to put food on my table although I'm sure professional painters know a lot of tricks to make the job easier.
my daughter helped me paint.
our Primary is small enough that we can easily give each child individual attention.
I get to serve in the church with people I really like.

2011-01-27T20:20:00.000-08:00

Today I am grateful for

an early morning text that meant I didn't have to be ready for the grandson to arrive at 7:15 AM.
a daughter that bought me lunch.
libraries.

2011-01-26T22:24:00.000-08:00

Welcome to scouting - June 2000

The end is in sight - January 2011

Actually, there is never really an end to scouting in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but don't tell the youngest son that right now.

Today I am thankful for

a son who put his scout uniform on when I asked him to.
a daughter who took pictures of her brother.
another daughter who provided the camera and technical support.
a son who made a special trip to my house to help me get all my scout pictures into one file.
a husband who burned the pictures to a cd and delivered it to where it needed to be.

2011-01-24T20:46:00.000-08:00

Today I am grateful for

a daughter who planned Family Home Evening.
the church hymns and the spirit they bring into our home.
a family that enjoys singing together.

2011-01-22T22:32:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for

family members who happily do things with me.
my sister who provides the resources to do fun things with my family.
a daughter who supports her brother in difficult tasks.
a jumbo hot dog grilled to perfection.
the enthusiasm of little children.

2011-01-21T21:59:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for

cheap fruits and vegetables.
a resourceful daughter who came up with a way to make a meal for us using those fruits and veggies and then made it.
an unexpected sale on chicken tenders.
a grandson who isn't overwhelmed by large groups of people.
my nice, comfortable bed at the end of a long day.

2011-01-17T20:41:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for

a 3 day weekend.
a son and daughter-in-law who took me to lunch.
sweet potatoes.

2011-01-16T20:45:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for

help making dinner even though my kitchen is too small for that much help.
reminders of the blessings of the temple.
primary children who sing like angels while standing on one leg like a flamingo.
brownies with nuts on top.

2011-01-15T23:55:00.000-08:00

Today I am grateful for

friends who say positive things about me.
leftovers and a husband who is willing to eat them.
my refrigerator that keeps those leftovers edible.
good, generous people who share their home with me and my family.

2011-01-14T17:59:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for

some unexpected free time that I chose to use productively.
a spiritual prompting that I acted on without second guessing myself and a stroller in my car.
my everyday decision to make my membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints a priority.
Keri's blog play list. She may not be happy to know that she and a 50 year old share similar taste in music, but I am.

2011-01-13T18:43:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for

a friend who motivated me to go to the temple, by going with me, and even let me have the aisle seat.
my glasses - I couldn't see anything without them. I am also glad that I have worn them since 4th grade so wearing them isn't a big deal and I don't have to get used to wearing them now.

my blooming bulbs.

This is the 4th year they have come up and the 1st year they have actually had flowers.
a son who bought us pizza for dinner.

2011-01-12T21:32:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful that

my daughter reads to my grandson - with enthusiasm.

January weather in my neck of the woods is great park weather.

the oldest daughter didn't have to stay for jury duty and got to come and play with us for a change.

my daughters made dinner.

2011-01-11T19:58:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful that

there are a plethora of grocery stores within 5 minutes of my house. (Doesn't that word just make you smile?)
I took 2 boxes of stuff to our "clean your closet and share" Relief Society tonight and came home with absolutely NOTHING!
I have Relief Society sisters that I can laugh with.

2011-01-10T20:17:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for

beans - a simple and tasty dinner option.
my babysitting assistants who took the grandson grocery shopping with them.
my clothes dryer.

2011-01-09T20:29:00.000-08:00

Today I am grateful that

my son made me pancakes and sausage for breakfast. YUM!
my 2 youngest children removed the piece of glass from my foot with no permanent damage and enough entertaining comments to distract me from the pain.
I have sisters-in-law who make sure my family is fed while I go to bed early.
my hubby and my son did their home teaching.

2011-01-08T19:17:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful that

all the decoration boxes are back in the storage shed. Hopefully all the decorations are in them.
I didn't have anything urgent that I had to do so I could just lay down when I didn't feel good.
the youngest son got to run up A mountain in full gear 3 times today and not me.

2011-01-07T22:20:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for

the Church Magazines.
kids that do what they say they are going to do.
flannel sheets.

2011-01-06T10:02:00.000-08:00

Today I am grateful for

the last Fernwood Mint Sandwich, the hubby that bought them for me in Utah and the sister who asked about them when she called so he was reminded to get them out of the daughter's car and give them to me.

Laughter - laughing feels so good and it's fun!

colorful carnations.

girl time with my daughters.

2011-01-05T21:24:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for

the peaceful alarm music that was supposed to waken my sleeping beauties. I will take "As Sisters in Zion/We'll Bring the World His Truth" over their other choices everytime. It brought such a calm, peaceful spirit into our home that they slept for 2 more hours.
silly things that remind me of my mom like making fruit salad with frozen cool whip.
a long break from babysitting duty so I was really, really excited to see the grandson today.

My little cowboy and his trusty zebra steed.

10 cents a gallon off on gas (that still cost way too much) and a husband who filled my tank up for me. My van hasn't been that close to empty in a long time.

2011-01-04T20:08:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful

for the cd "4 things That Will Wreck Your Life and 4 Truths That Will Save It" by Sheri Dew and the friend that gave it to me.
for the legacy of righteous women that I am a part of.
that my son knew where the CD player I had been searching for was.
that I don't smack someone everytime I feel like it.

2011-01-03T20:23:00.000-08:00

Today I am grateful for

a cleaner kitchen floor than I've had in a long time.
all the dishes washed and all the clothes clean at the same time.
the opportunity to laugh with my family (who would have guessed the hubby could snort with the best of them).
a healthy new member of our extended family.

2011-01-02T20:28:00.000-08:00

Today I am grateful for

a whole row of family members sitting by me at church.
the variety of fruit available to me any time of the year.
little boys with folded arms and sweet smiles.

2011-01-01T20:34:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for

the promise of a new year (perhaps it will even include more than 49 blog posts).
the realization that I don't need to buy everything I like or that is on sale really cheap.
one on one time with my oldest daughter.

Pool Noodle Bead Delivery

2010-12-19T14:19:00.000-08:00

The Activity Day Girls delivered their pool noodle beads to the nursery today. Everyone had a lot of fun trying them out.

Even the grandson got in on the act since he was Grandma's primary helper for awhile today.

Today I'm thankful that

my hubby and my youngest daughter arrived home safely.
my children enjoy each other's company.
there are so many beautiful christmas carols for me to enjoy.

2010-12-18T20:41:00.000-08:00

Today I am grateful that

the youngest son didn't burn up in the burning building he practiced fire fighting in today.

photo by David H. Barehand

my youngest daughter remembered her grandma's birthday by putting flowers on her grave as she and her dad drove past.

my oldest son owns lots of movies that I can borrow when I am in a movie watching mood.

The Tallest Christmas Tree in the Nation!

2010-12-17T20:44:00.000-08:00

This morning I took the hubby to the airport to fly to Idaho Falls to meet the youngest daughter and drive home from school with her. Allegiant Air just started flying out of Mesa Gateway Airport directly to Idaho Falls and since it is A LOT cheaper the hubby decided he would give it a try. The airline and flight were both good, according to him, but he did end up leaving 2 hours late due to the heavy fog - not in Idaho but in Mesa. Yup, we had some unusual fog this morning. Oh, and by-the-way don't always trust that map quest knows how to get you somewhere. It sent us on a non-existent road. Luckily the son-in-law had given me some basic directions that got us back on the right path.

After I returned home the youngest son decided he felt bad that he wasn't going to Idaho and wanted to go on a road trip. I am always ready to go for a drive and the grandson likes to go ( said dew, dew, dew with the head waving side to side). We finally decided on a jaunt to witness the tallest Christmas tree in the nation at the Anthem Outlet mall.

Read all about it -

The grandson was a lot more impressed by the tree than the youngest son was.

This is my view looking up from the base, probably about the top 2/3rds fit in my view finder.

Here I'm using the 6 foot 2 son as a height gauge. The toys at the base of the tree were as tall as he was.

And, here you have it - the nation's tallest fresh cut tree. All 110 feet of it.

The son was generous and decided we could visit the Nike store and the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory which were on either side of the tree. I took the grandson to Toys R Us the other day and he almost went hysterical with excitement. He jabbered non-stop about everything he saw. I was surprised that he felt the same way about the shoe store. He was thrilled with all the orange shoe box stacks, the little sample shoes attached to the rack with stretchy cords and the floor mirrors that he could see himself in. It was SO exciting!

Today I am thankful that

my son actually wanted to do something with his mom for a change.

the grandson likes to nap in his car seat.

Cafe Rhumba was kind of on the way home from the mall. I love their tropical chicken salad. Yum! Yum!

Activity Day Girls Project - Pool Noodle Beads

2010-12-16T22:55:00.000-08:00

A couple of months ago the other counselor in the primary presidency was released. The new counselor preferred to be involved with cub scouts and so my responsibilities changed to being the counselor over the 8 to 11 year old girls activity days (HOORAY!). I have enjoyed spending time with these girls. They have been working really hard to memorize all of their articles of faith the past couple of months and now they are great at reciting them and telling everyone what they mean.

Tonight they finally got to work on something different. The girls, and their adult helpers, made pool noodle beads to donate to the ward nursery. The activity day leader had a friend who suggested this project. I tried to find the original blog, to give her credit for the idea, but I couldn't locate it. Just know that there is a creative person out there somewhere that we benefited from and we are grateful.

First we took our pool noodles and cut them into 1 inch slices with a sharp kitchen knife. We used both smooth pool noodles and ones with bumps in them, which created the flower shaped beads.

Then we cut nylon rope into 2 foot lengths. I am not sure how thick our rope was, more than 3/8" though. It was probably a little too thick in my opinion and possibly cut a little too short.

Next, we cut a small x in the center of a cottage cheese container lid. The x just needs to be large enough to feed the rope through (Think of the hole in the top of a soda lid). This could also be done with a drill, making a circle not an x.

After the rope was threaded through the lid, the adult men in our group used a butane torch to fuse the lacing end of the rope. One of our dads had a very manly torch, but a hand held lighter (the longer kind with a nozzle look) would work just as well. The girls flayed out about an inch of the rope on the opposite end and this was also burned to keep the rope from pulling through the lid.

Notice the decorative heart that the "boys" felt the need to burn into the church sidewalk. It had rained and the sidewalk was wet, so there was no permanent damage done. I just think it's cute.

And ta-dah! Here is the finished product.

The girls are all looking forward to presenting their gift to the nursery on Sunday. Doesn't this just make you want to make some of your own? Too bad it's December and there are no pool noodles in any of the stores.

Today I am grateful for

6:00 PM, when the oldest daughter arrived to retrieve the grandson. He was being a stinker today.
getting to work with the activity day girls.
rain that cooled things off and made it seem possible that Christmas is only a week away. I have a hard time feeling motivated to complete my Christmas list when it is 85 degrees outside.

2010-12-10T19:32:00.000-08:00

Today I am grateful

for a van that I don't have to share with anyone, even if the check engine light does continually come on for no apparent reason.
that priesthood holders are capable of "leaving it on the court" after they try to kill each other during a church basketball game. I have a little harder time doing that than they do.
that none of my children have posted anything on facebook that got them arrested and that they aren't wandering the United States looking for handouts to buy booze or picking up girls (or boys) to pay their cell phone bills for them.

Things that made me happy today -

Darcy the Dragon.
a little boy in jeans and Toy Story cowboy boots who walks like he just got off his horse.
the church drinking fountain.
memories associated with our Christmas tree ornaments.
Christmas weebles that wobble, but don't fall down.
grandbaby hugs.

The Grandson Performs

2010-12-08T18:38:00.000-08:00

Today I'm thankful for

a young men's leader who is smart enough and nice enough to help the youngest son get his car in running order again.
a light bulb testing gun.
Christmas tree lights - they make even an old, crooked tree look magical.

Scary Halloween

2010-10-20T19:45:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago the grandson and I went to DI and brought home a Halloween book called Jack O'Lantern's Scary Halloween by Robert Kraus. It has become his favorite book at Grandma's house and he makes sure we all get a chance to read it with him every day.

It is a cute little story about a Jack O'Lantern, a ghost and a skeleton who go trick or treating together. They visit all their scary friends and get treats, but you'll never guess what happens when they visit the last house on the hill and come face to face with a cute little girl. EEK!

Today I am grateful for

cool weather.
my hubby's ham and cheese omelets.
evidence that we are finally going to get a new roof.

2010-10-02T20:56:00.000-07:00

Today I am thankful for

a living prophet.
a husband who knows how to hook the computer up to the TV so we can watch conference as a family.
my 3 men all dressed up and heading off to the Priesthood session of conference together.

Fire Explorers CPR Training

2010-09-15T21:50:00.000-07:00

Tonight the youngest son had CPR training for Fire Explorers. He was looking pretty spiffy in his "uniform" when he left home.

Here is tonight's group (click on colored word to see pictures.)
and the son saving a baby, (after he figured out how to put him together) as well as resuscitating a body-less person.
To view all the pictures that were taken tonight go here.

Today I am thankful for

positive learning experiences for the son.
positive sleeping experiences for the grandson.
positive dinner experiences with the hubby.

Eyelashes

2010-09-11T20:46:00.000-07:00

Why is it that some little boys are blessed with beautiful, long eyelashes that any girl would love to have?

It just doesn't seem fair, does it?

Labor Day

2010-09-06T20:57:00.000-07:00

It's called LABOR Day for a reason.

As you can see, our lawn is as ready for the long, hot summer to be over as I am.

Today I am thankful that

this weekend had 3 days in it.
the youngest son and the hubby helped me do some yard work.
other people think the grandson is as entertaining as I do. It is going to be a rude awakening for both of us when people stop thinking he is adorable.
the youngest daughter arrived safely in Rexburg.

A Message From the Editor

2010-09-03T09:52:00.000-07:00

Can I just say it really bugs me when people have a blog and they don't ever post anything on it. It is so frustrating to want to see what they are thinking about today and see nothing. Come on middle-aged mother - get with the program!

2010-07-17T09:10:00.000-07:00

Today I am grateful that

my labwork appointment was at 8:00 AM so it was only 98 degrees outside when I was finished.
I got two pieces of blue corban tape instead of just one.
my friend invited me to go somewhere fun with her.
my hubby helped me clean out the freezer in my fridge so there is enough room for a bag of ice.

2010-07-15T21:28:00.000-07:00

Today I am thankful

that I don't have a job where I have to work outside in Phoenix in July.
for debit cards - the ease to use them and the ease to cancel them when you lose them.
for thrift stores = cheap fun.

2010-07-13T22:10:00.001-07:00

Today I am thankful that

almost all of my missing family members returned home safe and sound.
I belong to the largest women's organization in the world.
I got to bring the leftover watermelon home from Relief Society.

2010-07-12T20:14:00.000-07:00

Today I am thankful for

the Tempe library summer adult reading program. Can you say $15.00 Harkins gift card plus free popcorn - just for reading a book. Hooray!
a postcard from my traveling sister.
leftovers for dinner and a husband who is willing to eat them.

Sunday Dinner at Grandma's (and Grandpa's)

2010-07-11T21:47:00.000-07:00

Today we had a pretty small group at our house for dinner. It was just the oldest daughter, the grandbaby, the hubby, and me. The son-in-law has been hiking with the scouts at Philmont for the past 12 days (only 2 more to go), the oldest son and the youngest son and their dinner guests are in Idaho/Utah visiting the youngest daughter and the youngest daughter is in Idaho being visited. The grandbaby is feeling a little abandoned by the men in his life and tried to keep a close eye on grandpa today to make sure he didn't disappear too. His bib may say he loves grandma, but he was definitely a grandpa fan today.

When the grandbaby doesn't get food passed to him quickly enough he has taken to yelling at the top of his lungs to make sure we know he is hungry and being ignored. His mom has been working on getting him to make the sign for more instead of screaming.

She is having some success. After he screams a few times, and she shows him the sign and says more a few times, he will make some kind of motion with his hands (he usually claps) and then he gets more food. Here he is demonstrating. Isn't he just the smartest little boy in the whole world?

The high chair he is sitting in is a hand-me-down from my mom's house. I have not been able to determine if it is the high chair I used, but I know it has been in the family for as long as I can remember. Looking at this picture, it appears to have accumulated a lovely gray tint over the years. The tray is very white and clean though. I know it has been replaced since I have been an adult so I'm pretty sure it's not painted with lead paint.

This is what the grandson looks like when he is tired of sitting in the high chair and wants to get out and go home to bed.

I guess the oldest daughter needs to start working on "all done" soon.

Today I am grateful for

creamed peas and potatoes, even runny ones.
extended family members who try to support my family, even when it's not easy.
all the good visiting teachers and home teachers I have had over the years.

We All Fall Down!

2010-07-04T20:32:00.000-07:00

Today at church the primary president and the secretary were gone. The other counselor was doing sharing time, so I was the designated runner. I went into nursery to take the roll and see how things were going. It was singing time and the leaders were trying to get the toys picked up so everyone could sing. The children weren't being very cooperative, so I decided to stay and help get the toys in the cupboard. I guess it has been too long since I was in nursery because as I was encouraging helpers and picking a few toys up myself, I tripped over a little boy who had wrapped himself around my leg. I knew I was going to be sitting on the floor soon and I had visions of this small child smashed beneath me. I grabbed him on the way down and we ended up sitting next to each other. I looked at him and said, "We both fell down, but we're ok, right?" He looked at me and started laughing. He laughed and laughed, stood up, brushed his hands off and said, "Again!" Obviously falling down is easier when you are 2 and 2 feet tall than it is when you are my age. He thought it was a fun game, and I was just grateful that nothing was broken.
It was interesting that as soon as I was seating on the floor I suddenly became every child's favorite person. I immediately had a lapful of friends who wanted to share their toys or tell me their stories. Some of my former nursery children like to pretend they don't know who I am anymore, so it was fun to feel like I belonged again for a few minutes. The nursery leaders probably wished I hadn't stayed to help clean up since I was more of a distraction than a help.

2010-07-02T22:20:00.000-07:00

Today I am thankful that

I am not moving.
I am not the Relief Society president.
my family still sits around the dinner table and laughs, every once in a while.

2010-06-30T22:01:00.000-07:00

Today I am grateful for

the golden glow over the entire world at sunset.
boys (and girlfriends) who made us pizza for dinner and delivered it to our door.
strawberry shortcake from Church's Chicken.
the scriptures, the conference edition of the Ensign, and time to read both.

2010-06-29T19:27:00.000-07:00

I love to see the temple

I'm going there today

To feel the holy spirit

To listen and to pray.

Tonight was our ward Relief Society temple night and I really wasn't too excited about going. I love to go to the temple, but I would much rather go to a session during the daytime and I am lucky enough that that is usually an option for me. It is much more difficult for me to want to go to the temple in the evening and when I do I like to make a point of taking my hubby with me, since that is the only time he can usually go. I have been in a very anti-social mood lately and I really didn't want to go and be friendly with anyone, even my Relief Society sisters that I really like. However, I have come to find out that when I don't feel like doing something that is probably the very thing I NEED to do, so off I went to the temple. I'm glad I did! There were only 5 of us there and 2 of the sisters are much older, nearly blind and not in the best of health. I'm sure they would have chosen to attend the temple at a more "convenient" time, but I was touched by their dilligence and their willingness to give service in the temple. These are 2 women that I believe are close to perfect and I would love to grow up to be like them. I was glad that tonight I had made a choice that moved me a few steps forward along the path to exaltation with these good examples. It was such a sweet experience to share hugs with them in the celestial room and to feel of their love and the love of my Heavenly Father. Today I am thankful for my eyesight. temple night with a few of my Relief Society sisters. an excuse to hang out with some good friends for some food and friendship - doesn't happen nearly often enough.

Father Lehi and the Tree of Life

2010-06-20T21:47:00.000-07:00

I ran across this video and felt it was a wonderful Father's Day tribute. Back when this Lehi (the artist) was just a preschooler, his father was the "father" of the BYU Lamanite singles ward and my hubby served as his counselor in the bishopric when we were first married. We learned a lot from Bishop Sanchez and he has been a great example of a righteous father, not only to his own children, but to many, many other individuals over the years.

The other day when I went to the temple, I was impressed with the beautiful sunflowers they have planted this year. They give the temple a very different look, a somewhat masculine appearance. I decided that I would like to go to the temple on Father's day and take some pictures of my kids with their father and the sunflowers. By the time we finished Father's day dinner (and dessert) with the very extended family it was almost too dark for picture taking but we still managed to get a few good ones. We missed the youngest daughter, who still maintains that she is the very best Father's day present her dad ever received. She was born 22 years ago yesterday, on Father's Day. Just imagine her cute, smiling face right there with the rest of them.

My children are very fortunate to have the wonderful, supportive father that they were blessed with. He is a good example to all of us, but especially to his sons. I hope they grow up to be righteous fathers just like their dad.

Today I am thankful for

the father of my children.
cooperative family members.
Pima tacos and banana splits.

Smile!

2010-06-15T21:36:00.000-07:00

This is the grandson's new "happy face".

It makes me feel pretty happy too!

My Little Rocking Chair

2010-06-11T20:44:00.000-07:00

One of the purposes of our most recent trip to Utah was to collect the remainder of my inherited furniture from where it was being stored in my sister's basement. One of the items we brought home was my little rocking chair.

Here is the grandson taking it for a test drive. He did smile when I rocked him in it, but he was a little bit concerned most of the time.
I have two very distinct memories of this chair from my childhood. One of them is of riding it down the stairs to the basement in our house on the hill. I did this on purpose and I'm pretty sure numerous times. It was a lot of fun.
My other memory is of sitting in this chair the very last time I ever remember throwing up. I was still pretty young because I know I still fit in the chair. I have a strong stomach and I don't throw up - even though there have been times in my life when I really wished I could, because I'm sure it would have made me feel better.
I'm glad my mom has taken such good care of my chair for so many years. My kids used to enjoy going to Grandma's house and rocking her "babies" in it. Now it's time for my grandchildren to have a turn.

Today I am thankful for

a grandbaby to share my chair with.
childhood memories.
my sister's basement.

Family Home Evening Activity

2010-06-07T22:21:00.001-07:00

I was hoping that our family home evening activity tonight would include my family all gathering around me and offering unlimited, extremely helpful suggestions for the girl's camp bishopric skit that I have once again been commissioned to write. Apparently my first skit attempt was successful enough to merit an encore. Unfortunately, I am facing a severe case of writer's block or in other words I have no idea what to write. No idea whatsoever and it was pretty much supposed to be written last week.
This exact situation is one of the biggest excuses I use for not writing the novel that I sometimes believe is lurking in my little brain. What if I wrote a book and it was amazing and wonderful and a best seller and the publishing company asked for a sequel and there was nothing else hiding out in my head. Absolutely nothing! What could be worse?
The only thing I can think of that could possibly be more horrible is if my amazing, wonderful, best selling book was so amazing that someone wanted to make it into a movie, but the film company felt that the way I had written my story wasn't quite amazing and wonderful enough for the big screen and they wanted to totally change the underlying theme that I had so purposely and painstakingly developed (as in the movie version of the Christmas Shoes) or wanted to completely change the ending of the book (as in the movie version of My Sister's Keeper). That is reason enough to never ever become an author.
Wow, this blog has totally gone off on a tangent.
Back to Family Home Evening - the male members of the family felt that a trip to the local theater to view the blockbuster film "The Prince of Persia" would be a much better use of their valuable time tonight. While the movie turned out to be better than I had expected, my mind is now full of visions of a bishopric brotherhood waving magic daggers and defying death while jumping off of amazingly tall buildings accompanied by a scantily dressed young woman and a suicidal ostrich who drinks diet Coke and eats buttered popcorn. At least I finally have an idea to build on and I'm pretty sure if I run with it there won't be a third skit to write next year.

Today I am thankful for

bonding time with my youngest son.
air-conditioning.
cheaper family night movie tickets at Cinemark plus free popcorn.

They've Got Their Daddy's Toes

2010-04-29T23:08:00.001-07:00

First it was the youngest son,

Twice.

Then it was the oldest son's turn.

Now the oldest daughter has proof too.

They all got their Daddy's toes - the ingrown ones that is.

Today I am thankful that

I have avoided ingrown toenails in my life, so far.
I got to spend some extra time with the hubby today.
my daughter brought me flowers just because.

How We Celebrate

2010-04-26T21:49:00.000-07:00

Today was the hubby's birthday. He is now a year older than he was yesterday. It is our family tradition to go out to dinner to celebrate some one's birthday and the birthday boy (or girl) gets to choose where we go. The hubby chose to visit the Golden Corral buffet. We all got lots to eat except the grandson. He kept trying to get Grandpa to share

but finally he just had to resort to eating the table.

After dinner we hung out in the parking lot opening gifts, visiting, taking pictures and entertaining the other restaurant patrons.

Once again the son-in-law had to go to class instead of party. I guess that's what he gets for taking a class on Monday night.

It may not sound very exciting to you, but it's how we like to celebrate and I enjoyed myself immensely.

Today I am grateful for

MY HUSBAND! I am so lucky to be married to the most wonderful man in the world and I'm looking forward to celebrating a lot more birthdays with him.

Surprise sales at JC Penney that made the birthday gifts a real bargain.
beautiful spring evenings in Arizona.

Spanish Fork Bank Breakdown

2010-04-15T21:38:00.000-07:00

In the fall of 1975 my family was in the process of moving from Heber City, Utah to Spanish Fork, Utah. My dad had been transferred to the Spanish Fork branch of First Security Bank and he and my mom had decided to build a new house a few blocks away from the bank after failing to find a home in the area that they wanted to purchase. When it came time for school to start my brother was a freshman at BYU and I was a junior in high school. It was determined that even though our house possibly wouldn't be completed until the start of 1976, I should begin the school year at Spanish Fork High School. This was not a very popular decision with me. I was still technically living in Heber, where all of my friends were, but spent most of my days in Spanish Fork, where I knew no one and I didn't like it.

Each morning we would arise early and my dad, my brother and I would head down Provo Canyon. My brother was dropped off at BYU and then my dad and I would continue on to Spanish Fork where he would deposit me at the High School before going on to the bank. I usually rode in the back seat of the car where it was easy to go back to sleep until we arrived in SF. I can still vividly remember the sound of the tires crossing over the cattle guard at the foot of the Spanish Fork freeway exit. That dreaded noise indicated that it was time to sit up and face a new day of anonymity at my new school when all I wanted to do was continue sleeping or go back home. When the school day finally ended I would walk the 2 blocks to the bank where I would check in with my dad, if he wasn't helping a customer, and then I would take up residence in the employee lounge in the basement of the bank until 5:30 or 6:00 PM when my dad could leave work.

As this daily schedule continued I began to feel that the bank was my home away from home. There were frequently treats on the lounge table that I could indulge in and always a pot of coffee percolating on the counter. I have never drunk coffee in my life, but that smell seemed very comforting to me for some reason, and made the little space seem almost homey. As I would sit and do my homework or read a book, the bank employees would wander in and out and ask me about school or my day. There were several women who were especially kind to me and I began to look forward to my visits with them. As I entered the bank in the afternoon I could always count on being greeted warmly by someone as I passed through on my way to the stairs. The bank started to become a place where I felt like I belonged, while I often spent the rest of the day trying to figure out where I fit in. I would still have preferred to be a Wasatch Wasp, but my time at the bank made the thought of becoming a Spanish Fork Don a little less painful.

At the end of December my family finally moved from Heber, where we had sold our home, and took up temporary residence in Payson, Utah with my Grandpa since our house still wasn't finished. Now that we actually lived in Utah County, my days at the bank became fewer and further apart since my mom or my brother could usually pick me up as soon as school got out. Then in February of 1976 we finally became official Spanish Fork residents and my afternoons at the bank became a thing of the past. However, every time I visited the bank, I still felt like I was welcomed as a member of the family and I continued to feel like this was a place where I belonged.

Fast forward 35 years - I haven't lived in Spanish Fork for close to 30 years, my dad hasn't been the manager of the First Security Bank there for more than 25 years, and it has probably been at least 15 years since I have actually been inside what is now the Wells Fargo Bank at 99 North Main Street in Spanish Fork. I have promised my sister that I will stop there on my way to Idaho and sign some papers that need to be signed in order to stop my dad's retirement checks that my mom has been receiving each month. The person I need to talk to is helping another customer and so I take a seat and wait for my turn.

The bank has been remodeled several times since the months that I felt like I practically lived here. The bathroom isn't where it belongs and the back stairs to the basement have disappeared. All of the higher management desks are now surrounded by clear plastic sound walls that present a somewhat stand offish attitude and all of the tellers behind the counter look like they could be my sons. I am treated cordially and with respect, but no one is welcoming me home as their long lost family member. As I sit with my back to the large bank vault, that is still right where it is suppose to be, and watch the familiar wooden gate, protecting the front staircase, swing back and forth behind an employee on his way to the basement break room, I am hit by a wave of nostalgia and homesickness that takes me by surprise.
I miss my dad.
I miss my mom.
I miss my friends at the bank.
I miss the feeling of belonging that I use to feel in this building.
I even miss those long ago days as a Spanish Fork Don that ended up being much better than I could have imagined during the final months of 1975.

I feel the tears begin to well up in my eyes and hope that I can complete my transaction before I have a complete breakdown. Thankfully, it is soon my turn to be helped and I maintain my composure until I walk out the back door, which isn't suppose to be there by the way, and into the parking lot. The youngest daughter seems to be OK with the fact that I feel the need to cry from Spanish Fork to Bountiful and since she is the one driving it doesn't matter that I can't see anything anyway.

Today I am thankful for

a daughter that is willing to stop and shop the sales with me.
a daughter that makes hotel reservations and knows how to order pizza.
extra McDonalds napkins.

Family Night Farewell Picnic

2010-04-12T22:11:00.000-07:00

Tonight we all enjoyed a picnic at the park in honor of the youngest daughter leaving the big city to return to small town Idaho. It was such a pretty spring evening and we had fun just hanging out together.

We ate lots of yummy food

and played on the swings.

The youngest daughter thought it would be fun to drink out of the doggy drinking fountain.

Perhaps that's how they do it in the country. I thought it was kind of gross though.

We attempted a group photo on the slide before we left. We laughed and laughed and laughed and took lots of funny shots, but this was the best pose we ended up with. The son-in-law had a class tonight so he didn't get to join us and the extra is the former roommate who is still occasionally a member of our family.

We are going to miss you youngest daughter. Don't have too much fun without us.

Today I am grateful for

a daughter who organized our family picnic.
laughter.
my family.

He Knows Better Than I

2010-04-11T21:45:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago one of my youngest son's Sunday School teachers died. He was quite young and has 5 children, ages 16 to 2, 3 under the age of 5. There is some question as to the cause of death, but it is most likely that he died of a drug overdose or committed suicide. He has struggled most of his life with some mental illness and drug abuse. He served a mission and married in the temple, but has had long periods of inactivity followed by a renewed desire to do what is right. His family only lived in our ward for about 6 months, but it was during one of his better periods and he had a very positive influence on my son's life. His death has been difficult for my son to understand and I have also struggled with how much information I should share with him as I hear rumors and stories from many different sources. I have chosen to discuss openly all of the possibilities that I can reasonably substantiate, believing that I would rather he hear it from me and we talk about it than he hear it through gossip and silently wonder and worry about it.

Today after church my son asked me "Why are some people's lives so much harder than others?" This is a question that I often ask myself. It seems like no matter how hard some people try they always have challenges while it seems that life just kind of flows along happily for others. I didn't really know how to answer his question. We talked about how sometimes choices that we make or that other people make result in consequences that bring difficulties with them. I also told him that I think Heavenly Father allows us to have challenges so we can learn the things we need to know here on earth and become the person we need to be. I didn't really feel like my answers had made a difference and I wondered what more I could say. I asked his dad and they discussed the subject for awhile with a lot of the same ideas brought out again. Still, I wondered what he was really thinking about the whole question.

Later in the day this son was sitting in the living room singing. He enjoys singing and I will often hear him repeating his current favorite song over and over again. As he sang I tuned in to hear what song was number 1 on his list at the moment. As he sang the same portion of the song a number of times, I didn't recognize it, but the words became clear to me. What he was repeating was a chorus that said:

You know better than I
you know the way
I've let go the need to know why
For you know better than I.

I still didn't recognize the song, but the message of the song was familiar to me. I felt that this was in part an answer to my question of where my son stood following our discussion from earlier in the day. To me he was acknowledging his faith that I may not have all the answers, and his dad might not have all the answers, but his Heavenly Father has the answers to why. Along with that, the fact that he doesn't know why right now is OK, because God knows why and he knows better than any of us.

I asked the son what the song was and he said it was from the DVD "Joseph King of Dreams". I went online and looked up all the words to the song and was really touched by the entire message.

I thought I did what's right
I thought I had the answers
I thought I chose the surest road
But that road brought me here
So I put up a fight
And told you how to help me
Now just when I have given up
The truth is coming clear

Chorus 1:
You know better than I
You know the way
I've let go the need to know why
For You know better than I

If this has been a test
I cannot see the reason
But maybe knowing
I don't know is part of getting through
I tried to do what's best
But faith has made it easy
To see the best thing i can do
Is to put my trust in You.

Chorus 2
For, You know better than I
You know the way
I've let go the need to know why
For You know better than I

Coda:
I saw one cloud and thought it was a sky
I saw a bird and thought that I could follow
But it was You who taught that bird to fly
If i let You reach me
Will You teach me.
(Repeat Chorus )

For, You know better than I
You know the way
I've let go the need to know why
I'll take what answers you supply
You know better than I

I have developed a great love for the story of Joseph over the years. I am amazed by all the things that had to happen to Joseph in order for him to be who he was meant to be and for him to be in a position to literally save his family from death. If he had not been sold into bondage or thrown into prison what would have happened to him and his extended family when the famine occurred? Knowing the end of the story helps me to see the power of God's love and watchful care during the entire experience.

If I could know the end of the story would I better understand the difficulties that occur in my life and in the lives of others? Maybe, but I don't believe I am meant to know the end of the story yet. I need to have faith that Heavenly Father is aware of what is going on. I need to remember that He loves each one of His children, he knows the individual challenges that we each face and he sees the whole picture much better than I do. For right now that is enough for me to know and hopefully it is something that my son is learning as well.

Today I am grateful for

the opportunity to be at church in my own ward. Does it mean I have spent too much time on the road recently if the first thing I do when I sit down on the church bench is look for my seat belt and then I can't concentrate during the meeting because I don't fell safe because I'm not buckled in?
movies that contain positive messages and children who are willing to watch them.
a lesson reminded of by my son.

Random Questions from my Week

2010-04-09T08:51:00.000-07:00

What is it I am looking for that I can't ever seem to find?
Why does the car seat always seem to be where it's not suppose to be?
Why does everything seem simpler in theory than in real life?
How was I so lucky to find the man I married?
Why don't I always appreciate him like I should?
Where am I going to put it?
How do you teach a baby to crawl?
Why would I want a baby to know how to crawl?
Why am I such a loser visiting teacher?
Why do I have a debit card in my purse that expired in 2008?
Do I have another one somewhere that hasn't expired?
Why tell me half the story if you're not going to tell me the other half?
Why does prom have to cost so much?
Why does a baby sleep so much better in someone's arms than in a bed?
Where is my son ever going to wear that ribbon shirt?
At what age do people stop smiling with their whole face?
How would I feel if my son didn't come home at night?
Why is General Conference not being broadcast on public television where I live?
Why does an airplane ticket from Idaho Falls to Phoenix cost $500 and require 2 layovers?
Why does punishing your children frequently require punishing yourself as well?
Why is it so hard for me to push the publish button on all the blog drafts I have written?
What's for dinner?
Who's eating dinner here?
Why did you buy pizza 30 minutes before dinner?
Why do people think making a bad choice will make their life easier?
Why do other people's choices have to affect so many people besides themselves?
Where could my library card be?
Why do we buy toys for kids when they would rather play with an empty soda cup, a water bottle and a pile of junk mail?
Why would anyone choose a hard boiled egg over one filled with money or one made of chocolate?
Why can't I enjoy the beautiful 80 degree weather instead of worrying about when it's going to hit 100?
Can post-partum depression last 26 years?
and the ever popular...
Why do I do the things I do when I know the things I know?

Free Zoo Trip #2

2010-03-06T22:55:00.000-08:00

Today the oldest daughter and I took the grandbaby on his second trip to the zoo. Perhaps you remember that his first zoo trip was rather boring, in his opinion, and he slept through the entire visit. The baby enjoyed this outing a lot more. He loved looking at everything. Here he is looking at all the cute kids looking at the elephant.

Now he is checking out the really nice fence surrounding the same elephant.

In this picture he is completely intrigued by the water bottle on the stroller.

He loved looking at everything - except the animals.

Try as we might, we couldn't get him to look at a single animal.

As we were heading for the exit, at the end of our visit, we paused in the back of an animal show for a few minutes. All of the sudden the grandbaby started squealing and throwing himself around with excitement. I momentarily thought he was impressed with the snake on the stage, but then I looked around. Nope, it definitely wasn't the snake. It was an entire stroller full of water bottles.

Now, that is something to get excited about.

It was a good thing that the daughter and I had decided right from the start that we were going to the zoo for our enjoyment, to get some exercise and to bask in the beautiful spring weather and not for the baby. The trip definitely met our criteria and was worth every penny we paid for it and a little bit more. Free is hard not to enjoy.

Coronation 2010

2010-02-06T20:41:00.000-08:00

Tonight the youngest son went to Coronation. He enjoyed himself a lot and score - he got another new purple tie. (I'm glad that boys can wear their dance attire even after the dance is over).

Here is the cute couple,

and the handsome boys,

and the whole happy group.

Today I am grateful for

a friend who made a corsage for my son's date, as well as her son's, and took pictures of my son and his date, as well as her son and his date, so I would look like a good mother.
good kids for my son to spend time with.
siblings that support each other in their activities - even at 8:00 on a Saturday morning.

Righty-Tighty, Lefty-Loosey

2010-02-04T19:26:00.000-08:00

I have a room in my house that use to be my girl's bedroom. When they moved out I intended to turn it into a craft room, but they left behind some stuff that needed to be dealt with first. I started moving all my scrapbook, sewing, needlework projects into the room anyway and quickly it became the home of anything in the house that didn't have a spot. The piles just kept growing higher and higher. Every once in a while I would make an attempt to dig it out, but with little success.

Fast forward a few years and one of the daughters has returned home and would like a bed to sleep on (there were actually two somewhere in the room) and a space to call her own. I became determined to clean out and organize my mess and not just shove it all to one side in a massive mountain. I should be determined to box it up and give it away, but I'm not quite to that point yet. Anyway, I have been working on this never ending project for a while now and am slowly making progress. I am finally ready to start figuring out where to put things away.

Today I decided to use my carpentry skills and assemble the shelves and other storage items that I have collected with the hope of someday being organized. I grabbed my screwdriver and my hammer and went to work. Lots of righty-tighty and a little lefty-loosey, to fix a few missteps, and then some bang, bang, bang with the hammer. I ran into a snag when my 6 cube shelf, that was purchased for $5.00 from a thrift store, was missing the hardware, but I went online and found some assembly instructions and then headed to Lowes for a dowel and some screws.

Now all that's left to do is to determine where to put them in the room and decide which of my choice items will finally have a place to call home.

The grandson thinks all my stuff is pretty exciting. Here he is helping to sort stickers.

Grandma's house may have a lot of "stuff" but tonight it was lacking an extra pair of clothes and a clean diaper. I guess it's time to restock some of the really important items.

Today I am thankful for

online assembly instructions.
our neighborhood Lowes with helpful employees.
a teacher who taught me my ABCs - attach A to B with 2 CCs would make no sense at all if she hadn't.

Wordy Gratitude List

2010-02-02T23:18:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for

a son who feels and follows promptings that help keep him safe. The youngest son was driving home from school after he had dropped a friend off. He usually goes out onto a main road from this house to travel home, but today he had a feeling that he should go a different way. As he was driving past our church the car started blowing really hot air and suddenly died so he coasted into the church parking lot, parked the car and assessed the situation. He couldn't get the car to start so he called me and I went and got him. A few days ago a woman's car stalled on the freeway and before she could get out of traffic she was rear ended, her car burst into flames and she was killed. The son was sure he would have ended up the same way if he had been on a busy road. I'm not sure that the situation was that dire, but I'm glad he acted upon his feelings and that all turned out well -for him at least. We're still not sure what is wrong with the car.
happy surprises at the grocery store. Today I went to Safeway to buy some groceries. Cheese was one of the items on my list because they had their 2 lb blocks on sale for $4.49. When I got to the dairy department some of the cheese had a .30 cent coupon on the package. I was happy because that made them even a better deal. When I checked out they quadrupled the coupon to $1.00. 2 lbs of cheese for $3.49. Happy day!
one woman who works really hard so a lot of women can have fun being crafty together. There is a sister in our ward who loves to make wooden crafts so she has taken it upon herself to plan a monthly Relief Society Craft project. She cuts all the wood herself and collects all the supplies for us so all we have to do is show up, pay our money (cost of materials only) and create. She is also very willing to accommodate all of the out-of-the ward daughters who want to come with their mothers. It is always a fun evening. Tonight we painted, papered and decorated letters to spell the word LOVE. The sister's husband came home toward the end of the evening and announced that he was going to tell all his buddies in the High Priest's Quorum on Sunday that a whole bunch of Relief Society women came to his house this week and made love.

If the Stake President hears about this our craft nights might be a thing of the past.

2010-02-01T19:47:00.000-08:00

Today I am grateful for

big mouth baby kisses.
no more baby Teancum.
an extra nice checker at the grocery store.

2010-01-31T19:38:00.001-08:00

Today I am thankful for

a son who lets his brother make banana bread mess at his house.
the opportunity to partake of the sacrament.
leaders who love me and make me feel appreciated.

2010-01-30T19:54:00.001-08:00

Today I am thankful for

oranges from the Orange Patch and a husband that went and bought them.
a clean van, thanks to the youngest son.
a quiet Saturday afternoon.

Baby Teancum

2010-01-29T20:36:00.000-08:00

The youngest son is taking a child development class at school this year and this weekend it is his turn to "try out parenthood" by caring for a mechanical baby day and night. This son had the opportunity to be a "father" before when he was in middle school and I have always had mixed feelings about these fake baby assignments. I do think they can be an eye opening experience concerning the responsibilities and realities of having a child, but I'm not sure how realistic they really are. According to the son these babies are much harder to care for than a real baby. His big complaint is that the mechanical baby requires the parent to be the only person who responds to the baby's needs (he is required to wear a bracelet with a computer chip that links him to the baby and it cannot be removed). This son knows all too well that a real baby can be left with any number of babysitters. I tried to explain to him that often in real life a young parent doesn't have a strong support system and a surplus of willing care givers like his sister has and there isn't anyone available to care for the baby besides the parent. I'm not sure he bought my explanation. I don't think this son would think caring for his nephew for 52 hours straight would be that big of a breeze either if he really had to do it, especially since the fake baby diapers are a lot more pleasant to change than the real baby's sometimes are.

The son chose to name his son Teancum, one of his favorite baby names. His teacher asked him if this was a Native American name. He told her it was an Ancient American name and that it came from the Book of Mormon. She then told him she had a Book of Mormon at her house, but she had never read it and he suggested that she read it because it's a pretty good book.

Tonight we were invited to a birthday party at Peter Piper Pizza for an extended family member. The son didn't enjoy all the attention he and his baby got from his Aunties, Uncles and cousins as well as a number of strangers. It is a little embarrassing for a 17-year-old boy to rock a doll in a public place. This is another reason I don't believe this assignment is very true to life. All too often it seems to me that in real life young parents receive lots of positive attention and they aren't embarrassed at all.

I guess the doll is accomplishing its purpose though. As early as Monday the son was already complaining that this baby was ruining his life. A newborn to care for makes going on a scout camp out and playing church basketball a little difficult. If he can remember that a baby puts a big crimp in his carefree life, and conduct himself accordingly, then I will be grateful for this experience.

Today I am grateful

for good friends to laugh and craft with.
that my 17 year old's "baby" is a school assignment and not a permanent addition to our family.
for events that gather our extended family together.

2010-01-28T20:17:00.000-08:00

Today I am grateful for

a husband that got up early and showered so I would have time to take a shower too.
a daughter that woke up early to take care of the grandbaby while I went to a doctor appointment.
lunch with friends.

The Sexy Beast Gets His Driver's License

2010-01-27T19:55:00.000-08:00

The youngest son has been after me all evening to blog about the exciting happening in his life today. I told him I was still trying to come up with a fitting title and he immediately told me what my post should be called. Apparently when the son looks in the mirror 100 times a day he sees the reflection of a sexy beast, but the official driver's license just says his name. I do have to say that his new picture more closely resembles a sexy beast than the old one did. He's changed a lot since he was 15 and 7 months.

I'm not sure why they passed him though. It's obvious from this photo that he was clearly driving the wrong way through this parking lot.

Today I am grateful for

a husband who took half a day off of work to take the son to the MVD. He should have never told me he had to use up some of his leave time.
the woman who gave me her coupon in the grocery store line and saved me a dollar on my toilet paper. I think she felt bad for making me stand in line behind her for 20 minutes while they worked on her WIC transactions.
a daughter who washes dishes without complaining.

2010-01-26T21:00:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for

Tylenol.
a clothes dryer.
an extra bottle at Grandma's house.

Payson Utah Temple

2010-01-25T20:26:00.000-08:00

My mom has been saying for a few years that there was going to be a temple in Payson, Utah someday and today she was proven right. I'm sure all of my relatives that called or call Payson home are celebrating in heaven and on earth today.

Today I am thankful for

Temples dotting the earth.
sons that like each other.
an e-mail from my sister.

A Simple Insight

2010-01-24T19:29:00.000-08:00

The Primary president that I work with at church has 2 small daughters and a husband that works nights, so she has a lot to do before church at 9:00 AM on Sunday mornings. Because of this, I volunteered to attend the 7:30 AM monthly Ward Council meeting whenever she needs me to. She thinks I am being generous, but little does she know, I actually enjoy these meetings. I don't necessarily enjoy the meetings, but I love the opportunity that my attendance gives me to listen to someone share one of their favorite scriptures and then to join in a brief discussion with a group of adults about what it means to us. Group, adult, spiritual interaction is something that seems to be sorely lacking in my life at the moment.

The scripture that was shared this morning was taken from chapter 3 in the book of
Jacob in the Book of Mormon and the part we discussed was found in verse 7.

"Behold, their husbands love their wives, and their wives love their husbands; and their husbands and their wives love their children..."

There it is in a nutshell. Think what a different world this would be if we all just did this each day in our homes.

I have been reading a book entitled "Today I Will - A Year of Quotes, Notes and Promises to Myself" by Eileen & Jerry Spinelli. It is a book that takes a quote from a book written for children or young adults and then expounds on the quote and offers a challenge or focus for the day. Today the quote referred to a family death and there was not a specific challenge but more of a thought.

"There is no specific instruction for today. Simply this: A heartening confirmation that my relationships with others are the most and the best of my earthly experience. And a reminder that the time I share with my family and friends is something to be celebrated and lived to the fullest."

I thought it was a fitting summation of my thoughts today.

Today I am grateful for

an obedient son who is willing to accept church responsibility.
a flashback cuddle session with one of my favorite 2 year olds.
a sweet musical number in sacrament meeting and a non member husband and father who came to hear it and was touched by the spirit.

Dinosaur Squeals

2010-01-22T22:10:00.000-08:00

Is this a happy dinosaur, a mad dinosaur, or a dinosaur in distress?
You decide.

Today I am grateful for

a new job for the youngest daughter.
Angela's bread stick recipe.
warm fuzzy socks.

Signed, Sealed, Delivered - It's Done!

2010-01-21T20:55:00.000-08:00

HURRAY! HURRAY! HURRAY!
Tonight in the "Rain Storm of the Century" the youngest son and I FINALLY delivered his COMPLETED Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project notebook to the person in charge.
IT IS DONE!
Now he has to present his project to the Board of Review on Tuesday night and when they approve it he will be FINISHED.
Let me say it again - HURRAY! HURRAY! HURRAY!

Today I am thankful for

a husband who can quickly change the color ink cartridge in the printer and knows how to burn CDs.
a cooperative son (at least every once in a while).
a little sunshine on a rainy day.

I'm not sure that ASU red and gold are his colors, but he can definitely brighten up any moment.

A Cell Phone is NOT a Necessity

2010-01-11T22:09:00.000-08:00

My youngest son's cell phone is currently in my possession. Since we (the hubby's money and my check writing, envelope licking, and stamp sticking skills) pay the cell phone bill each month, we set up a few simple rules for its use. One rule is that the cell phone shouldn't be used at the dinner table or during Family Home Evening. The biggest rule is that the cell phone can and will be taken away for disrespectful behavior. Tonight during Family Home Evening when the son kept texting his friend and his mouth kept running faster than his brain I had finally had enough and asked for his cell phone. Following some extreme theatrics I was given the phone and I am not planning on returning it anytime within the next 24 hours. Every few minutes the son comes in with another reason why he NEEDS his cell phone right now.

He NEEDS it to wake him up in the morning. He does use the alarm on his cell phone to wake up, but lately he still seems to need a couple of parental reminders as well and he does have an alarm clock next to his bed, so I'm pretty sure we'll manage to get him up on time in the morning even without his phone.

He NEEDS to call someone really important. Hard as it is to believe, we have a house phone that calls people just as well as his cell phone does. No, he can't take it outside and around the corner and up on the top of the block wall to chat in private, but it would still work.

He NEEDS it to text me and let me know if he needs a ride home from school or not tomorrow. I do appreciate his texts that say that our neighbor can give him a ride, which saves me a trip, but I told him I will just plan on picking him up tomorrow so that alleviates that problem. He's pretty sure that just won't work.

I don't think anyone really NEEDS a cell phone. Yes, my cell phone makes my life easier and there are times that I wonder how I ever managed without one, but if I didn't have one I would still survive. I'm almost positive that a cell phone is a WANT and not a NEED.

This line of thinking has reminded me of two items I have been musing about recently. Friday morning a friend of mine received the following text that she shared with me.

Ever wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phone?
What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?
What if we flipped through it several times a day?
What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?
What if we used it to receive messages from the text?
What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it?
What if we gave it to kids as gifts?
What if we used it when we traveled?
What if we used it in case of emergency?
This is something to make you go....hmm...where is my Bible? Oh, and one more thing: Unlike our cell phone, we don't have to worry about our Bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill.

Definitely something to think about. I can honestly say I do know where my Bible is but do I NEED my scriptures as frequently and fervently as I seem to NEED my cell phone.

The second thing is this post I read today about a year long activity focusing on "Every Needful Thing". What is it that I actually do NEED in my life? I'm pretty sure that it's not a cell phone, but I'm interested in participating in this journey and being reminded of the things that I do NEED and trying to include them in my daily life. Perhaps you'd like to join me.

Today I am grateful for

a house that is a tiny bit more organized.
zucchini and scrambled eggs.
January in Arizona.

I Know That My Savior Loves Me

2010-01-05T21:48:00.000-08:00

The Primary theme for 2010 is "I Know My Savior Lives". In primary we have been learning a new song that goes along with this theme. It is "I Know That My Savior Loves Me". I don't know why, but every time I hear those sweet children's voices singing this song it brings tears to my eyes. It is such a beautiful testimony of our Savior and His love for each one of us.

Today as I was driving around trying to accomplish some mundane tasks this song kept running through my mind over and over again. I finally decided to fully acknowledge my thoughts and began singing it again and again. It brought a special peace into my day.

Primary songs are one of my favorite parts of serving in Primary. I love having my head and my heart full of these uplifting and comforting songs. How wonderful to be reminded on a frequent basis of the love that my Savior has for me and so many other important gospel principles reinforced by Primary music.

These are the words to the song "I Know That My Savior Loves Me" or you can go here to watch a video with the words and music.

A long time ago in a beautiful place
Children were gathered round Jesus
He blessed and taught as they felt of His love
Each saw the tears on his face.
The love that he felt for His little ones
I know He feels for me.
I did not touch Him or sit on His knee
Yet Jesus is real to me.

I know He lives
I will follow faithfully.
My heart I give to Him.
I know that my Savior loves me.

Now I am here in a beautiful place
Learning the teachings of Jesus.
Parents and teachers will help guide the way
Lighting my path every day.
Wrapped in the arms of my Savior's love
I feel His gentle touch.
Living each day I will follow His way
Home to my Father above.

These words would have been very helpful in my car today because I kind of just made up the words where I wasn't sure and now that I have sung it so many times with a few wrong words and phrases it will be harder to actually learn it correctly. Oh well, the message is still the same regardless.

Today I am thankful for

90% off Christmas items.
Primary music messages.
Cheap fruits and veggies from Superstition Market.

And the Winner is...

2010-01-02T20:27:00.000-08:00

I have chosen my word for 2010.

I'm sure you'll be hearing a lot more about this word as the year goes on.

He's Moving Out

2009-12-30T20:36:00.000-08:00

Today the oldest son loaded up his truck and moved to an apartment about a block and a half down the road.

He doesn't look too happy to see me show up on his doorstep later on this afternoon, but I know he really was.

His apartment has everything he needs.

A TV, a DVD player, a shelf full of DVD's and a remote. What more could a young man want?

Today I am grateful for a boy with his own truck and 2 siblings to help him move.
a ground floor apartment, because I did have to help move a few things.

Word of the Year

2009-12-30T13:14:00.000-08:00

In my flitting around the web reading blogs I ran across a New Year idea that really appealed to me. I started with a post on one of my favorite escape blogs which led to some blogs that I had never visited before and some posts entitled Resolution Solution and One Little Word

Choose One Word to center my direction around for the coming year. What a wonderful way to focus on improvement in 2010 without making a huge list of resolutions. I love words and all the thoughts and ideas and inspiration that a single word can bring into my head. I have been bouncing around some ideas of words that resonate with me. What word will I choose to represent this New Year? Will it be...

Abundance
Celebrate
Gratitude
Remember
Enough
Happiness
Joy
Purpose
Peace
Hope
Optimism
Faith
Charity
Believe

Stay tuned for the final decision to be made soon.

Today I am grateful for

breaks from the routine.
the world wide web.
words.

My Good Friend Jo-Ann

2009-12-29T19:45:00.000-08:00

Today the oldest daughter had to run out to her school to pick up a purchase order and she invited me to go along and do some shopping at the stores on the rez while we were out that direction. Her dad has been asking her to bring the grandbaby by his office so he can show him off to all his co-workers so we decided that we would meet him at the cafeteria there for lunch. The son-in-law was going to be gone flying with his mom most of the day, but the weather didn't cooperate, so he wanted to be included in this outing as well. The daughter warned him ahead of time that this adventure would involve some store visits, but he decided the free food was enticing enough to put up with the shopping.

We got the purchase order, ate lunch and appreciated all of the appropriate oohs and aahs that the baby received and then it was time for the real fun to begin. We told the driver that the first stop was Jo-Ann's. He said "You mean Jo-Ann." Apparently during the many visits to the fabric store that the son-in-law has made with the daughter since he joined the family he has determined that the official title of this business is Jo-Ann - singular and not Jo-Anns - plural or Jo-Ann's - possessive.

Well, I will be the first to admit that I call this store Jo-Ann's. Always have and probably always will. I will even go as far as to say that I thought perhaps the official name of the store was Jo-Ann's and I have a few canceled checks in my possession to prove it. Well, now I know that I have been mistaken all these years, but I doubt that will quickly change how I refer to this store. The son-in-law went on to expound "you don't say you are going to Wal-marts or Targets do you?" He is absolutely correct. I have never once in my life said I was going to Targets.

Of course, this conversation got me started thinking about why this is. Why do I call the JoAnn fabric store Jo-Anns but have no trouble calling Target Target or Wal-mart Wal-mart? Now, I have already said that I might have possibly just been confused about the name of the store, but I am pretty sure I would have still called it Jo-Anns regardless. Jo-Ann just sounds wrong to me.
After much musing on this topic I have finally come up with a logical explanation. It all goes back to the relationship that have with this store. Obviously, through my many frequent visits to this business I have developed a strong and lasting friendship. Just as I would not say I am going to Kim or Denise or Moana when I visit one of my good friends I don't say I am going to Jo-Ann. Actually I think this has something to do with the English language. When I say I am going to Kim's the word house is inferred even though it is not said and therefore the name becomes possessive as in Kim's house and the s is added. When I go to the fabric store I think of it as belonging to my good friend Jo-Ann. I can even envision this Jo-Ann person in my head. She is about my age and she is happy and friendly and funny and extremely talented, not unlike many of my other friends. Sometimes she employs grouchy, overworked individuals in her store, but that just shows how truly charitable she really is. Therefore when I head off to the fabric store to make a purchase I am going to my buddy Jo-Ann's store and the s makes perfect sense. I have no such vision of Target (the person) in my head and as far as Wal-mart goes, well I can conjure up Sam from the commercials that I have seen but he seems to reserve his friendships for people who belong to his club and since it costs money to join his club I just can't get too excited about pursuing that relationship.

Now, back to our shopping experience. The daughter and I had a wonderful time at JoAnn's and found some exciting after Christmas bargains. We enjoyed ourselves so much that perhaps we stayed longer than we had intended. At least that is probably what the men folk in the car were thinking.

Hey, it was a nice day for an afternoon nap in the parking lot of my friend Jo-Ann's store.

Today I am grateful for

a yummy chicken salad sandwich with pecans and dates.
a proud grandpa who loves his grandson and isn't afraid to let that love show.
a patient son-in-law.

Christmas Buddies

2009-12-25T22:03:00.000-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Look what I can do with the new camera I got for Christmas.

Where did November go?

2009-12-01T23:58:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that November is over. It seems like it was just Halloween and now, here it is December and the countdown to Christmas has truly begun. Tonight the oldest daughter and I attended my Relief Society craft night and enjoyed socializing and being "creative" (as creative as you can be when someone else prepares the entire project for you, which is my kind of crafting). We made these cute Christmas Countdown blocks.

Is anyone besides me feeling a little stressed?

Breakfast with Santa

2009-11-28T20:58:00.000-08:00

This has been Eagle Scout project month for us. Last night I helped scrub cupboards for a friend's son's project. He cleaned and painted two two bedroom apartments and helped furnish them for the Save the Family Foundation which helps homeless families get off the streets and into a home. He is only 13 and we are all proud of him for getting his Eagle earned early.

Today I got invited to take behind the scenes pictures at another friend's son's project. This was a Breakfast with Santa to collect books, toys and cookies for the Phoenix Children's Hospital.

Can I just say, this was by far the most fun eagle project I have participated in. I am quite capable of eating and taking photographs. I am capable of cleaning, painting and shoveling dirt as well, but that's not quite as much fun.

The oldest daughter and I felt that this was a wonderful time for the grandson to get introduced to Santa so a few (more like half) of the behind the scenes photos I took included the grandbaby. Who can blame me though when he is so dog gone cute?

He happened to be one of the more content, small children sitting on Santa's lap.

I wasn't responsible for the photos with Santa, so hopefully the scout's mother, who was, got a picture that wasn't quite as blurry.

The grandson was actually a lot more interested in talking to the Christmas tree than in talking to Santa however. It's obvious he hasn't figured out where the presents come from yet.

To show that I wasn't just taking pictures of the grandson though, here is a wonderful shot of the scout doing exactly what an Eagle Scout candidate is suppose to do - Telling people what to do.

And this last picture of a very tired mother is proof positive that without moms very few young men would ever earn their Eagle Scout rank.